Jorge Lorenzo thinks Francesco Bagnaia must copy Andrea Dovizioso tactic to regain his self-confidence

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Francesco Bagnaia is in need of a huge reset over the winter period after a torrid 2025 MotoGP season.

The Italian finished the year in P5, winning just two races. Bagnaia was despondent for most of the season as he struggled to adapt to the GP25 and find any feeling from the bike.

His difficulties have cast major doubt on his future with Ducati, with his contract expiring in 2026. Teammate Marc Marquez thinks Bagnaia is still a big part of Ducati and has a role to play in the future, but it is clear that he must improve.

Things are looking encouraging after the Valencia test, as the Italian rode the GP26 for the first time. Bagnaia found a lot more confidence from the new machine, especially in braking and corner entry, areas he struggled with in 2025.

Bagnaia agrees with the Marquez brothers about the current state of the GP26, which is a good sign for the 2026 season. But Jorge Lorenzo thinks the Ducati rider needs to go an extra mile.

Jorge Lorenzo thinks Francesco Bagnaia needs to hire a sports psychologist

The 28-year-old often looked miserable and at a loss for words after races. He had no confidence in the GP25 and struggled to keep up with his rivals.

For 2026, Lorenzo thinks Bagnaia needs to hire a sports psychologist and have them next to him to ‘rediscover his positivity’. It is something that he also made use of in his MotoGP career.

He told Moto.IT: “Let’s hope that having three months of vacation, trying out a somewhat new bike, will do him good. Taking a break, having time to detach himself from negative thoughts.

“But I think Bagnaia needs someone to help him from outside: some coaches, Valentino from VR46, going to a sports psychologist. I’ve done it at certain points in my career, many have. He needs to rediscover his positivity, his enthusiasm. Pecco is at least as good as Alex Márquez, not inferior.”

READ MORE: Everything to know about Francesco Bagnaia from net worth to race number

Jorge Lorenzo wants Francesco Bagnaia to copy Andrea Dovizioso to regain his confidence

Lorenzo added that Andrea Dovizioso also used this tactic in his career. The Italian started to have a lot more ‘self-confidence’ afterwards, as it changed his way of thinking.

“I may have been the first in motorcycling, but sports psychologists have existed in sports since the ’60s and ’70s, so it’s not something I invented. You have to be humble, have no ego, and say: Look, I have a problem, I’m going to try.,” said Lorenzo.

“Maybe you go to a psychologist and it won’t change anything, or maybe it will. Andrea Dovizioso, for example, in 2017, before the MotoGP World Championship, started working with a psychologist and it changed his way of thinking, he started to have more self-confidence.

“He was the same rider; his technique hadn’t changed, but his mindset and his convictions had changed.”